Your guide to getting to the nation's best music festivals

IF THERE is one thing we Aussies love almost as much as a barbecue and game of backyard cricket, it is music festivals.

For some of us, our calendar year is mapped out around these dates and annual leave is hoarded until festival dates are released, when we race to be the first in the office to request that long weekend off to see our favourite bands.

Music festivals have become part of the Australian culture - and it's easy to see why. Bianca Holderness

But sometimes getting there is harder than it needs to be. Not anymore. Gone are the days of 10+ hour drives to and from the festival destination. Gold Coast Airport offers direct flights to almost every Australian city including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, plus regional centres like Newcastle, Avalon, Rockhampton, Cairns and Townsville. Arrive feeling fresh after a quick flight, and take comfort in knowing you haven't wasted precious festival time on the road.

Here's a quick guide to the biggest and best gigs around the country, and you can get to them all straight from the Gold Coast:

1. Sydney's Field Day, Harbour Life and Laneway: Over 25 flights a day to Sydney.

2. Melbourne's Falls Festival, Strawberry Fields and Future Music Festival: With the choice of flying into Avalon or Tullamarine airports, there are more than 15 flights a day headed to Melbourne.

3. Perth's Listen Out and Southbound Festivals. Fly direct to Perth with Jetstar.

6. And right on our doorstep, Splendour in the Grass and Bluesfest in Byron Bay: Your friends can fly straight into the Gold Coast from destinations right across Australia, or for those across the Tasman, there are direct flights from Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch and Wellington.